Radiology & Imaging

Radiology & Imaging

“Excellent patient care is the priority” A most critical responsibility of the department is to receive, analyze, and implement suggestions or recommendations with the goal to enhance the quality of services.

The Department of Radiology offers patients a full range of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures to assist in the assessment and diagnosis of an array of medical disorders. Our centralized and coordinated approach ensures timely diagnoses and the ability to formulate definitive, personalized and productive treatment plans. We are patient-centered and committed to providing the highest levels of quality, safety and care. All our doctors, specialists, and technologists make radiation safety a primary concern. Our patients can rest assured they will receive the treatment needed in a safe environment, which limits their exposure to any harmful side-effects.

 

Radiology Programs and Service

  • CT Scan
  • Ultrasound
  • Mammography and Breast
  • Imaging
  • X-Ray and Fluoroscopy
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Cardiovascular and Nuclear Medicine
  • Vascular and Interventional Radiology

Why choose us?

  • Friendly staff
  • Ability to have same day appointments
  • Flexible appointment times
  • Highly trained professionals
  • High quality clinical and professional services with proven outcomes
  • Excellent levels of cleanliness, effective infection control measures
  • Caring, friendly staff who respect patient needs
  • Freshly prepared meals served in patient rooms by our catering staff

CT SCAN

What exactly is a CT Scan? A Computed Tomography Scan is a painless procedure used by doctors to identify medical conditions, disease or trauma. A CT Scan uses X-rays and a sophisticated computer to view specific three-dimensional details of the body’s anatomy. Your doctor will order a CT Scan to:

  • Get a better look at a fracture and internal damage or see what is causing symptoms, like abdominal pain
  • Identify certain diseases such as tumors.
  • Determine the extent of a problem.
  • Plan for an upcoming surgery.
  • See inside the body to take a more precise biopsy.
  • Evaluate the effect of medical treatment.

What to Expect:
During the scan patients are asked to lie very still on a table attached to the scanner, which looks like a big doughnut. As the table moves slowly, the scanner makes detailed pictures of various parts of the body such as tissues, blood vessels and bones. It will usually take less than a minute to get images of the entire body. Sometimes, depending on the reason for the scan or the part of the body, an iodine dye may be used. This may be given both by mouth or injection. You may also be asked to not eat or drink before the scan. A radiologist creates a report that is sent to your doctor who will share the results with you. For all CT Scan procedures, please tell the technologist if you are or might be pregnant. After a CT Scan, you can resume normal activities immediately.

MAMMOGRAPHY

Doctors use mammography to tell if anything looks out of ordinary. Mammograms can reveal early stages of breast cancer — up to two years before a physical exam. Although most people with breast cancer are female, the disease can affect men.
What to expect:
Mammography is performed using a low-dose X-ray system to examine the breasts and capture the image. The examination usually involves at least two images of each breast (one taken from the top and one from the side). During the study, the technologist places your breast in a rectangular plate with a paddle that compresses the breast. This can cause some mild discomfort. However it is important to remain very still while the picture is being taken to minimize the chances of a blurry image.
You can resume normal activities immediately after the Mammogram.

  • Do not wear deodorant, lotion or talcum powder under the arms or on the breast. This is because deodorant may look like calcium deposits on the X-rays.

For all X-ray procedure, please tell the technologist if you are or might be pregnant.

NUCLEAR MEDICINE

Nuclear Medicine is used for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of diseases and disorders. A highly trained, certified Nuclear Medicine technologist performs the exam and a board-certified Nuclear Medicine physician interprets the images from your exam. We provide therapeutic services that use radiopharmaceuticals. Some of the services available include:

  • Bone Scan
  • Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine
  • Nuclear Medicine Ablation
  • Therapy
  • Renal Imaging
  • Thyroid Scan

What to expect:
A very small, safe amount of a radioactive substance called a tracer is given to diagnose and treat various conditions. Each tracer is designed to focus on certain organ(s) depending on the exam requested by the physician. The results reveal how an organ is functioning. Nuclear Medicine exams are safe and serious side effects are extremely rare. Radiation exposure for Nuclear Medicine imaging is about the same as you would experience during a routine X-ray.
You can resume normal activities immediately after Nuclear Medicine test.
Patients that are pregnant or breast-feeding will work with their doctor and the Nuclear Medicine staff to ensure certain precautions are taken.
Other diagnostic services available include:

  • Stomach, G.I. Bleed, Meckels Scan
  • Abscess localization – Gallium Scan
  • Brain Scan
  • Cystography – Reflux Study
  • Gastric Emptying Time
  • Octreoscan
  • Parathyroid Scan
  • Radionuclide Lymphangiography
  • Regional Blood Flow Scan
  • Salivary Gland Scan
  • Scrotal Scan

VASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY

Vascular and interventional radiology (VIR) allows for safe and effective treatment of many medical conditions that once required invasive surgery and a long recovery period. Compared to traditional surgical options, advanced VIR procedures rarely require general anesthesia and can dramatically reduce a patient’s risk, pain, discomfort and cost.
We treat patients safely and aggressively with minimally invasive solutions such as:

  • Uterine Embolization – a noninvasive and highly effective procedure used to treat uterine fibroids and relieve symptoms, including heavy menstrual bleeding, prolonged periods, pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination or difficulty urination.

During a UAE, which does not require general anesthesia or a hospital stay, tiny particles are injected into the arteries feeding the uterus to decrease the blood supply to the fibroids, causing them to shrink.

  • Jaundice, bile duct obstructions and some liver cancers
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
  • Dialysis fistula and graft management
  • Abdominal fluids or bleeding problems
  • Refractory ascites or variceal bleeding
  • Re-embolizing coils

ULTRASOUND

Ultrasound is a common and painless test that uses sound waves to create pictures of your internal organs and tissues. Ultrasound can diagnose several conditions.

What to expect:
During an ultrasound, a hand-held device (called a transducer) is placed on or into the body. The transducer creates sound waves that travel through the skin, fluid and organs, bouncing off them like an echo off a wall. A computer turns the information into an electronic picture. For some scans, you may be asked not to eat or drink for up to eight hours before the test. If you are having a pelvic ultrasound, you may be asked to drink several glasses of water one or two hours before the exam so your bladder is full when the scan begins. As you lie on a stretcher an ultrasound technologist applies a gel over the area to be examined. In some ultrasound studies, the transducer is inserted into a body.
These exams include:

  • Transvaginal sonography, inserting the transducer into the vagina to view the uterus and ovaries.
  • Transrectal sonography, inserting the transducer into the rectum to view the prostate or rectum.

A radiologist creates a report that is sent to your doctor who will share the results with you. You can resume normal activities immediately after the ultrasound.

X-Rays and Fluoroscopy

An X-ray allows doctors to take pictures of the inside of your body to see tissue, organs and bones and learn whether something may be wrong internally.
Fluoroscopy is commonly used to evaluate the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon. Fluoroscopy helps doctors learn more about gastrointestinal conditions like ulcers, tumors, hiatal hernias, reflux, scarring and inflammation and blockages. Examples of tests using fluoroscopy:

  • Esophagram
  • Upper GI Series
  • Barium Enema

What to expect:
An X-ray is a single procedure that typically takes few minutes. During the exam, you will be asked to hold still while the machine briefly sends electromagnetic waves (radiation) through your body. This creates a picture of the area needed to be examined.
Fluoroscopy is typically performed on an outpatient basis. Upper GI series and barium enema patients cannot eat or drink anything after midnight the evening before the test. Appointments will typically be scheduled in the morning to minimize the amount of time you will need to go without food. You can resume normal activities immediately after the X-ray/Fluoroscopy.
For all X-ray procedures, please tell the technologist if you are or might be pregnant.

CARDIOVASCULAR NUCLEAR MEDICINE

Cardiac Stress Imaging
This test is designed to determine if there are blockages in your coronary arteries affecting blood flow to you heart, how severe they may be, and if there has been any damage to your heart from blockages in your arteries.

What to expect:
Several small pads called electrodes will put on your chest to allow us to closely monitor your heart rate while you exercise. An intravenous line will be placed in your arm so we can inject a radioisotope compound into your blood stream while you are exercising. You will be asked to walk on a treadmill, which will start very slowly, and then gradually increase in speed. During exercise you will be asked to report any symptoms, if any. It is important that you do your best to exercise as long as you can in order to maximize the effectiveness of the test.
About 10 to 30 minutes after you finish exercising, you will be asked to lie on your back on a special table with camera and we will take pictures of your heart for about 30 minutes.
You can resume normal activities immediately after a Nuclear Medicine test.

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

Interventional cardiology is a sub-specialty of cardiology that involves treating heart conditions with catheters, rather than open surgery. Our interventional cardiologist are dedicated to the proper diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of coronary artery, valvular and congenital heart disease. Our nonsurgical options not only offer patients an alternative for managing cardiovascular complications, but also provide significant benefits, including less scarring and an ability to return to daily activities more quickly than with open heart surgery.
Interventional cardiologist perform a range of advanced procedures, from coronary angioplasty to complex coronary stenting. Some of our services include:

  • Pacemaker, ICD placement
  • RCH/LCH diagnostic catheterization
  • Coronary angioplasty/percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
  • Balloon-catheter angioplasty
  • Elective angioplasty
  • Emergency angioplasty
  • Stenting and intracoronary stent placement
  • Coronary thrombectomy
 

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